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CATALOGUE SERIES 
FRANCISCO DE ZURBARAN 




















HISPANIC 


NOTES & MONOGRAPHS 


ESSAYS, STUDIES, AND BRIEF 
BIOGRAPHIES ISSUED BY THE 
HISPANIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA 


CATALOGUE SERIES 




















PORTRAIT OF FRANCISCO DE ZURBARAN 


Attributed to José de Ribera 


Brunswick. Museum 








ZURBARAN 


IN 
THE COLLECTION OF 
THE HISPANIC SOCIETY 
OF AMERICA 





THE HISPANIC SOCIETY 
OF AMERICA 
NEW YORK 
1925 


























COPYRIGHT, 1925, BY 
THE HISPANIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA 


CORNELL PUBLICATION PRINTING CO. 
ITHACA, NEW YORK 








CONTENTS ue 








CONTENTS 

PAGE 
BIOGRAPHICAL PREFACE. I 
I Carruustan Monk READING 7 
II MicuE. DEL Pozo : 9 

ITI A Saint or Sevitia also known as 
Saint Lucy . eee T 
IV Saint AGATHA . ; : nel 
V Sarnt RvFIna . : ; iret a 
NoTES : ; cael 7 
BIBLIOGRAPHY . : ; A eers €) 





HISPANIC NOTES 








ot 








PREFACE 








BIOGRAPHICAL PREFACE 


Francisco de Zurbaran was born at 
Fuente de Cantos, Badajoz, and was bap- 
tized on November 7th, 1598. His parents, 
Luis de Zurbaran and Isabel Marquez, 
apprenticed him to Pedro Diaz de Villa- 
nueva, an image painter of Sevilla, from 
1614 through the year 1616. The Immacu- 
late Conception, signed and dated 1616, is 
generally considered his first work. After 
executing the paintings for the retabdlo of the 
Chapel of San Pedro in the Cathedral of 
Sevilla, he went to Llerena in Extremadura. 
He was recalled to Sevilla to paint a series 
of pictures for the cloister of the Convent 
of the Order of Mercedarios Calzados 
depicting scenes from the life of Saint 
Peter Nolasco and a Crucifixion for the 
sacristy of the Convent of San Pablo. 
Completing this work in 1629 he was re- 
quested by the Council of the city of Sevilla 

















HISPANIC NOTES 














% 


ZURBARAN 











POOL OF BUEN RETIRO AND VESSEL 


EL SANTO REY DON FERNANDO 
Detail from a map of Madrid by 
Pedro Texeira. 1656. 

New York. The Hispanic Society of America 


a 


HISPANIC AND 
Jeera 











PREFACE 3 


to take up his residence there. Not long 
after this he painted The Apotheosis of 
Saint Thomas Aquinas (Sevilla. Museo 
Provincial), one of his finest achievements. 
The Adoration of the Shepherds (1638), 
painted for the Carthusian monastery at 
Jerez de la Frontera, was signed with the 
title Painter to the King,- but it is not 
known in what year this title was con- 
ferred. It is possible that he received this 
honour as a reward for his decoration of 
El Santo Rey Don Fernando, the famous 
ship which the people of Sevilla sent as a 
present to Philip the Fourth of Spain in 
1638. Sentenach writing of this gift says 
thatit was ‘“‘. . . thought that it would be 
very effective as a relaxation for the King 
and pleasing to the favourite, the Count- 
Duke of Olivares, to send them a ship in 
which the splendour of the naval construc- 
tion of the time should reach its highest 
point, so that the King of Spain could sail 
in it on the extensive pond of the Retiro, 
recently constructed, imagining that he was 
plowing the seas of his extensive domains. 














AND MONOGRAPHS 

















ZURBARAN 























“The ship was constructed with every 
luxury in the workshops of the Alcazar of 
Sevilla . 

“Finished under the direction of Captain 
Lucas Guillén de Veas and with the collabo- 
ration of the best Sevillian artists for its 
embellishment and adornment, foremost 
among them Zurbaran, it was launched in 
the Guadalquivir, on one of the first days of 
June 1638, and afterwards transported to 
Madrid, being delivered to the King, 
through the mediation of the Count-Duke, 
in the early part of July of the same year. 

“Captain Lucas Guillén wrote various 
letters giving an account of the great effect 
created by the ship at the Court of Madrid 
at the sight of its splendour in the lake of the 
Retiro with all of its apparatus of sails, rig- 
gings, pennons, cannon, flags and lanterns, 
the taste and perfection of its details, being 
admired above all, and principal among 
these the pictures, entrusted to the skill of 
Alonzo de Deza and Francisco de Zurbarén, 
the latter having received 914 reales for what 
he executed by hand in the famous ship. 


























HISPANIC NOTES 














PREFACE 


“These pictures must have been allegor- 
ical and well coloured, when they attracted 
so much attention that the King felt im- 
pelled to give the title of Painter to the 
King to the artist; and it is probable that 
the great Velazquez was not unconcerned 
with the decision, since on every occasion 
he was disposed to show favour to the 
painters, who were his fellow countrymen, 
as he showed to as many as had recourse to 
him, for they were always satisfied by his 
amiability and protection” (1). Zurbardn 
was not able to go to court with the gift 
possibly on account of the illness of his 
wife, Dofia Beatriz de Morales, who died in 
1639. According to documents recently dis- 
covered he married again on January 20th, 
1644. His second wife, Dofia Leonor de 
Torderas, bore him many children. His 
biographers differ as to the date of his 
appearance at court, some placing it as 
late as 1650. From 1639 to 1659 he painted 
few pictures. To this last period belong an 
Immaculate Conception, a Holy Family (both 
in the Museum of Fine Arts at Budapest), 


me vONOGRAPHS 




















ZURBARAN 

















and a Saint Francis of Assisi in the collec- 
tion of Sefior Beruete in Madrid. Zurbaran 
was alive on February 28th, 1664. The 
date of his death is unknown. Cascales 
y Mufioz writes “. . . that this artist 

. cultivated almost exclusively por- 
traits and religious scenes, that all of 
his subjects are copied directly from 
nature, that is from the living model, 

. that his manner of painting habits, 
especially those of white wool, is graceful 
and perfect, through the fidelity of the 
tonality and the suavity with which they 
are painted, that his compositions are 
generally simple and of few figures, all of 
them in serious and dignified attitudes, 
made sometimes from single studies, the 
details being treated with exaggerated 
care, and that he took pleasure in finishing 
the figures of the foreground with strong 
contrasts of light and shade, producing an 
admirable effect, which was diminished 
gradually in the figures occupying the 
background”’ (2). , 











HISPANIC NOTES: 











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PLATE I 





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CARTHUSIAN MONK READING 





CARTHUSIAN MONK READING 





I 
CARTHUSIAN MONK READING 


A monk with black hair and eyes, clothed 
in the white woolen habit of the Carthusian 
Order, is seated on a chair, against a dark 
background. He holds in his hands a letter 
to which is affixed a seal. The red covering 
of the chair is visible. Von Loga writes of 
this painting: 

“The quality of the drapery, so detailed 
in its folds; the dexterity of the chiaro- 
scuro; the naturalness of the posture; the 
life which radiates from the face with its 
firm gaze and pensive forehead; the hands 
so correctly drawn are qualities sufficient 
for recognizing the interest of this paint- 
Lag erate Ca 


Moines de Zurbaran, blancs chartreux 
qui, dans l’ombre, 


HISPANIC NOTES 


7 



























ZURBARAN 


Glissez silencieux sur les dalles des 
morts, : 

Murmurant des Pater et des Ave san 
nombre, 





Quel crime expiez-vous par de si 
grands remords? (4). 


Oil on canvas. Height 141 em.—Width 96 
em. Formerly in the collection of George 
Donaldson, Esquire, London. Exhibited at 
the New Gallery, London. Exhibition of 
Spanish art, 1895-96; at the Corporation of 
London Exhibition. Guildhall, London, 1901. 
Reproduced in Blaikie Murdock, W. G. The 
Hispanic Museum, New York in The Connois- 
seur. September 1917. p. 27; Cascales y 
Mufioz, José. Francisco de Zurbaran. Tr. by 
N. S. Evans. New York, 1918. frontispiece; 
Diario de la marina. March 5th, 1922; 
Kehrer, H. L. Francisco de Zurbaran. Miin- 
chen [°1918]. plate 20; Loga, Valerian von. 
Los cuadros de la ‘Hispanic Society of Ameri- 
ca’ in Museum. 1913. v. III, p. 135;—— Die 
malerei in Spanien. Berlin, 1923. abb. 139; 
Mayer, A. L. Zurbaran in America in Arts and 
decoration. March 1916. v. 6, p. 222. 









HISPANIC NOTES 





PLATE II 





Ag6 


MIGUEL DEL POZO 








MIGUEL DEL POZO 





I] 
MIGUEL DEL POZO 


This three-quarter length portrait rep- 
resents a monk of the Order of Mercedarios| 
Calzados. He wears a white cowl and a 
white tunic with tight sleeves. His long 
white scapular is fastened together in front 
by the coat of arms of the Order. His hair, 
beard, and eyes are brown, and he holds in 
his left hand a wooden crucifix. Ona table 
in the left-hand corner of the picture are 
the symbols of the monastic life, a yellow 
death’s head, a scourge of knotted cord, a 
small brown cross set with nails, four 
books, two of which have titles in black 
-|letter on the back, one reading as follows: 
Peniten|cia]. The background is dark. 
Mayer says of this work,“ . . . [it] is 
striking on account of its stupendous nat- 
uralness and its powerful silhouette, and 











HISPANIC NOTES 























Io 











ZURBARAN 


interesting also with its still life on the left- 
hand side of the picture” (5). The Order 
of Our Lady of Mercy for the Ransom of 
Prisoners, originally founded as a military 
order by Saint Peter Nolasco, chose a habit 
of white cloth to facilitate their entry 
among the Moors to ransom Christians. 


Oil on canvas. Signed at upper left-hand: 
El Be P.e P.° F. Miguel del Pozo F.° Zur- 
ba[ra]n 1630. Height 102.5 em.—Width 84cm. 
Presented to The Hispanic Society of America 
on August 26th, 1921. Exhibited at the San 
Francisco Museum of Art. Loan exhibition of 
paintings by old masters. 1920. Reproduced 
in Kehrer, H. L. Francisco de Zurbaran. 
Miinchen [¢1918]. plate 22; Mayer, A. L. 
Zurbaran in America in Arts and decoration. 
1916. v. 6, p. 219; San Francisco Museum of 
Art. Loan exhibition of paintings by old 
masters. 1920. plate facing p. 35. 








HISPANIC NOTES 


PLATE III 





AQ4 : 
A SAINT OF SEVILLA also known as SAINT LUCY 


Seon eOr SEVILLA Il 
























Ill 





A SAINT OF SEVILLA also known as 
SAINT LUCY 





Saint Lucy wears a black bodice, the 
revers turned back and lined with yellow 
material, and a pearl gray taffeta skirt, the 
hem of which is embroidered in gold and 
trimmed with a row of pearls. A pink silk 
scarf is draped about her. A small gold cir- 
clet set with rubies and fastened by a brown 
rosette binds her dark brown hair. She 
wears a pearl necklace with a gold pendant 
set with a green stone. Her eyes are brown. 
She carries in her left hand a large white 
cloth with a yellow border,.in her right a 
salver of silver. The background is dark. 
Saint Lucy was originally one of the 
saints in a series painted by Zurbaran for 
the Hospital de Ja Sangre, Sevilla. Blanc 
writes of this series: 





Peo eN Lo NOTES 





I2 








ZUR BAR 


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“When. . . he painted the innumer- 
able saints of legend, he gave them an un- 
expected sweetness, even when mingled 
with that indomitable Spanish pride which 
causes the delicate virgins of the martyrol- 
ogy to appear like archduchesses of the 
Court of Toledo, or the princess of Asturias. 
I remember that like a strange and imposing 
procession, there was in the old Spanish 
Museum of the Louvre a long series of 
standing figures, who, with the names of 
Saint Cecilia, Saint Catherine, Saint Agnes, 
Saint Lucy, Saint Ursula, brought to life 
again, with the most brilliant tones, all of 
the types of old Spain”’ (6). 

Oil on canvas. Height. 182.5 em.—Width 
I11.5cm. Presented to The Hispanic Society 
of America on August 26th, 1921. Formerly 
in the Hospital de la Sangre, Sevilla; the 
Galerie espagnole du Louvre, Paris. Exhibited at 
the San Francisco Museum of Art. Loan exhi- 
bition of paintings by old masters. 1920. Re- 
produced in The Boston Herald. March toth, 
1917; Mayer, A. L. Zurbaran in America in 
Arts and decoration. March 1916. v. 6, frontis- 
piece; Cascales y Mufioz, José. Francisco de 
Zurbaran. Tr. by N. 8S. Evans. New York, 
1918. plate facing p. 66; Kehrer, H. L. Fran- 
cisco de Zurbardn. Miinchen [¢1918]. plate 69. 














HISPAN TGgN Oe 





PLATE IV 





Ag8 


SAINT AGATHA 





paseN PeAGATHA |x 


IV 


SAINT AGATHA 








Saint Agatha is here represented as a 
patron saint bearing on a salver the symbols 
of her martyrdom. Her gown is of rose- 
coloured taffeta; her cape of old gold is of 
the same material. Her hair and eyes are 
brown. She stands against a dark back- 
ground. Saint Agatha is probably one of 
the series of saints painted by Zurbaran for 
the Hospital de la Sangre, Sevilla, and de- 
scribed by Mayer as follows: 

‘‘All these women are extraordinarily rich- 
ly and nobly apparelled, [and] the costumes 
have throughout something worldly and 
luxurious. But still the costume treated 
with great care, perfectly harmonizes with 
the head, which emphasizes, with all the 
freshness of life, not in the first place 
the purely sensual beauty of the young 






































Piven CON OTES 











14 








ZURBARAN 


Andalusian, but her sincere piety which 
speaks to us out of her large melancholy 
eyes” (7). 
Comme dans les tableaux ot le vieux 
Zurbaran, 
Sous le nombre d’une sainte, en habit 
sévillan, 
Représente une dame avec des pen- 
deloques, 
Des plumes, du clinquant et des modes 
baroques (8). 








Oil on canvas. Height 84.5 em.—Width 56 
em. Presented to The Hispanic Society of 
America on October 14th, 1921. Reproduced 
in Kehrer, H. L. Francisco de Zurbaradn. 
Miinchen [¢1918]. p. 59; Mayer, A. L. Zur- 
baran in America in Arts and decoration. March 
{Q16, 1V¥2 G6, p.2e2. 








HISPANTC2N Oa 








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PLATE V 





A1r8o1 


SAINT RUFINA 














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V 
SAINT RUFINA 


In this painting the saint wears a gray- 
green costume embroidered in gold and 
silver thread. A rose-coloured mantle falls 
in heavy folds from her shoulders, and 
across her throat is a transparent white 
scarf. Her dark hair is parted in the 
middle. Of delicate workmanship are her 
gold and pearl earrings. She stands against 
a dark green background and holds in her 
hands a book upon which rest some lumps 
of clay indicative of her work in a pottery 
of Sevilla. It is probable that Saint 
Rufina was painted for the Hospital de la 
Sangre at Sevilla. Lefort writes of Zur- 
baran that “...he knew how to use 
methods more flexible, less fixed, and even, 
at need, full of charm and grace, when he 
had to represent some beautiful figure of 

















Peo NTC NOTES 

















cae 7 
16 ZURBARAN 
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martyr or saint. He liked to paint them in 
rich or picturesque costumes, and he sought 
out on his palette the most vivid and 
vibrant tones to render the silks and 
satins trimmed with gold in which they 
appeared”’ (9). 


Oil on canvas. Height 172 em.—Width 105 
cm. Presented to The Hispanic Society of 
America on June 4th, 1925. Reproduced in 
Cascales y Mufioz, José. Francisco de Zur- 
bardn. Tr. by N. 8. Evans. New York, 1918. 
plate facing p. 64; Kehrer, H. L. Francisco de 
Zurbaran. Miinchen[* 1918]. plate 68; Mayer, 
A. L. Zurbaran in America in Arts and deco- 
ration. March 1916. v. 6, p. 220. 











HISPAN DON Oa 














NOTES 


17 





NOTES 


(1) Sentenach vy Cabafias, Narciso. Fran- 
cisco de Zurbaran in Sociedad espafnola de 
excursiones. Boletin. September Ist, 1909. 


v. XVII, p. 195-196, ¢r. 
(2) Cascales y Mufioz, José. Francisco de 
Zurbardn. Madrid, 1911. p. 65-66, ir. 


(3) Loga, Valerian von. Los cuadros de la 
“Hispanic Society of America’ in Museum. 
1913. v. III, p. 127-128, tr. 

(4) Gautier, Théophile. Poésies in Geuvres. 
Paris, 1890. [v. 2] p. 152. 

(5) Mayer, A. L. Zurbaran in America in 
Arts and decoration. March 1916. v. 6, p. 221. 


(6) Blane, Charles. Histoire des peintres. 
Paris [n. d.]. p. 5-6, ér. 


(7) Mayer. p. 22. 
(8) Gautier. p. 105-106. 


(9) Lefort, P. A. La peinture espagnole. 
Paris [1893]. p. 162, tr. 


MNO ONOGRAP HS 














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BIBLIOGRAPHY 


CascaLes yY Muwftoz, José. Francisco de 
Zurbaran. Madrid, 1911. 


—  — Tr. by N.S. Evans. New York, 1918. 


Kenrer, Hugo Ludwig. Francisco de Zur- 
baradn. Minchen [°1918]. 





Laronp, Paul. Ribera et Zurbardn. Paris 
[1909]. 

Lonpon. Royat AcADEMY OF ARTs. Eahibi- 
tion of Spanish paintings. London [19207]. 

— — Illustrations. [London, 1920] 

Mayer, August Liebmann. Geschichte der 
Spanischen malerei. Leipzig, 1913. v. 2. 


— Die Sevillaner malerschule. Leipzig, 
IQII. 

— Zurbaran in America in Arts and deco- 
ration. March 1916. v. 6, p. 219-222. — 

Montoto y SkgpaA, Santiago. Zurbardn, 
nuevos documentos para ilustrar su biografia 
in Arte espanol. 1921. v. V, p. 400-404. 








HISPANIC NOTE 








Pie RA. PH Y 


19 








SENTENACH y CapaNas, Narciso. Francisco 
de Zurbaran in Sociedad espafiola de 
excursiones. Boletin. September Ist, 1909. 
v. XVII, p. [194]-198. 

Los grandes retratistas en Espafia. Ma- 
drid, 1914. 

— The painters of the school of Seville. 
London, New York [19—]. 











AND MONOGRAPHS 









































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